Nebraska Christian Thwarts EPPJ Comeback Bid

ELGIN — Looking for their first victory of the season, a Wolfpack second half comeback came up one touchdown short in a 30 to 22 loss to Nebraska Christian Friday night.
Down 30 to 8 at halftime, the Wolfpack pulled to within eight points in the fourth quarter and were driving for the game-tying touchdown when Eagle Matthew Swanson’s interception with 1:12 left sealed the team’s third loss of the season.
Having surrendered four first half touchdowns, the Wolfpack came alive in the late stages of the second quarter. Taking over on their own 28-yard line, EPPJ capitalized on runs by Brett Kinney and pass completions to Blake Schrage and Chad Bode to move the ball deep into Eagles’ territory. Then, Coach Randy Eisenhauer used a play made famous by the Miami Dolphins against San Diego in the playoffs years ago. Called the ‘Hook & Ladder,’ Alex Pelster connected with Peter Starman who then lateraled back to Kinney who took the ball down to the five-yard line before going out of bounds with 3.4 seconds left. On the next play, Kinney took the handoff and followed Wolfpack blockers into the right corner of the end zone for the team’s first touchdown. Pelster connected with Andrew Fangman for the two-point conversion. As the players jogged off the field, the Wolfpack were in striking distance.